Friday, August 03, 2007

From Hoekstra's Office   [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

THE NIGHT DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP DETERMINED THAT VOTES NO LONGER COUNT

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The leadership of House Democrats made history the night of Aug. 2, 2007 when they determined that votes no longer matter to them.

“House Democratic leadership completely ignored an official vote in the House to achieve their desired result,” said U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland. “It was truly an outrageous series of events that will be remembered as a disgrace to our democratic system of government.”

The vote was to send the agricultural appropriations bill back to committee to prohibit providing taxpayer funds under agricultural programs for employment or rental assistance to illegal immigrants.

U.S. Rep. Michael McNulty, D-NY, who was presiding over the proceedings, gaveled the vote closed when it had passed by 215 to 213, but reported that it had failed 214 to 214. The Democratic House leadership then continued allowing members to cast votes after the vote had been officially closed until they claimed that it failed by 212 to 216.

The Democratic House leadership wanted so desperately to provide taxpayer funds for employment or rental assistance to illegal immigrants that they disregarded the expressed will of the House.

They did not hold the vote open. They changed the results of a vote after it had legally ended. As of the morning of Friday, Aug. 3, 2007, no record of the official 215 to 213 vote exists on the Web site of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Today on the House floor Democratic leadership clearly admitted that mistakes were made.

“The leadership of House Democrats will be remembered as rewriting history the night of Aug. 2, 2007 to advance their agenda,” Hoekstra said. “They should be embarrassed and ashamed of themselves for their Orwellian manipulation of the U.S. House of Representatives.”

08/03 10:50 AMShare